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News & Information - Spotlight 2019

New Policing Strategies May Be Key To Drop In Major Crime Stats By 20% In Southampton Town

PRESS RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2018

Contact: Connie Conway, (631) 702-1743

Major crime statistics are down dramatically in the Town of Southampton. Crime statistics, year to date, are down by 20% compared to this time last year.

“This significant drop in the number of major crimes is a credit to the community policing and intelligence led policing strategies adopted by Police Chief Steve Skrynecki,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “We continue to see the benefits of connecting with neighborhoods while using modern technology and analytics to prevent crime.”

To that end, the Southampton Town Police Department recently held a barbecue and youth event to commemorate “National Night Out” at Ludlam Park in Flanders. “It gave our officers a chance to mingle and connect on a one-on-one level with community youth and adults. It is about building trust and cooperation, working together to improve quality of life conditions,” said Chief Steve Skrynecki.

The Southampton Police Department with funding support from OLA of Eastern Long Island, the Organization of Latino Americans, is planning to equip patrol cars with Spanish translation devices to help break down language barriers when responding to calls.

“The first step to serving a community is to establish clear communication. Breaking down language barriers is essential to maximize public safety,” the Chief said.

The major crimes reduction so far this year includes a drop in grand larceny from 173 incidents at this time in 2017 to 152 this year. The number of assaults dropped from 21 in 2017 to 11 so far this year, residential burglaries dropped from 49 to 30, robberies from 7 to 4 and sex crimes dropped from 8 to 2.

“Getting to know the residents, understanding their concerns and responding to those concerns is critical to successful policing,” said Chief Skrynecki.